1.1A Senate resolution
1.2congratulating Gary Carlson on his career with the League of Minnesota Cities and
1.3thanking him for over 30 years of representing Minnesota cities at the State Capitol.
1.4WHEREAS, Gary Carlson is known in cities small and large across Minnesota as a champion for
1.5local government; and
1.6WHEREAS, his career in government relations began in the city of Minneapolis in 1984, and he
1.7joined the law firm Briggs and Morgan, P.A., as a lobbyist in 1986; and
1.8WHEREAS, in 1991, Gary began his decades-long service representing cities across Minnesota on
1.9behalf of the League of Minnesota Cities; and
1.10WHEREAS, he quickly became known as a stalwart resource on local government issues, specifically
1.11tax and pension issues, and in 1994 he was promoted to intergovernmental relations director for the League
1.12of Minnesota Cities and has since been a trusted, resourceful, and admired leader of his team; and
1.13WHEREAS, Gary is routinely consulted by legislators, state officials, reporters, stakeholders, and
1.14city officials across the state for his expert knowledge on Minnesota's local government history and issues.
1.15He brings a relentless work ethic and dedicated nonpartisan professionalism when advocating on issues
1.16impacting cities; and
1.17WHEREAS, his accomplishments on behalf of cities include reworking the local government aid
1.18formula multiple times throughout his career to reflect and address the evolving needs of cities; securing
1.19funding to enhance city services; securing and enhancing pension finances and policies for the retirement
1.20security of thousands of public employees throughout the state; securing sales tax exemptions for local
1.21governments; and many other accomplishments in taxes and finance; and
1.22WHEREAS, while Gary has never testified on bike lane legislation, he has demonstrated user support,
1.23accumulating over 10,000 miles biked to and from the Capitol; and
1.24WHEREAS, rain or shine you will see Gary in tax committees and his Twitter account is an invaluable
1.25source of graphs, charts, and information on legislative process, statistics, history, and trivia. His tweets will
1.26be missed; and
1.27WHEREAS, Gary is professional to all, a colleague to many, and a friend to many more; and
1.28WHEREAS, this session marks Gary's 40th legislative session as a lobbyist; and
1.29NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the State of Minnesota that it thanks
1.30Gary Carlson for over 30 years of distinguished service on behalf of Minnesota cities, recognizes his
1.31contributions as a long-time resource to this body, and wishes him the best in his retirement.
1.32BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is directed to prepare an enrolled
1.33copy of this resolution, to be authenticated by the Secretary's signature and that of the Chair of the Senate
1.34Rules and Administration Committee, and transmit it to Gary Carlson.

Tom BotternSecretary of the Senate

Kari DziedzicChair, Senate Committee onRules and Administration

Ann H. RestState Senator, District 43